I Love Lucca, Italy

Maybe I love it because it sounds like "I Love Lucy", but that is only part of the reason. It took about an hour to get there by train and you could see the countryside changing as we got closer to Lucca. There were more mountains, green fields and flowers than I have seen in other parts of Italy. Lucca is a walled city - love those walls - with beautiful churches, shops, and a big surprise I'll talk about later.

I also liked that since it is a walled city, it was harder to get lost. You can also walk up on top of the wall; it is very wide and has a grassy hill on one side so it isn't totally a "wall". People walk and jog there. Seymour and I did our part to enjoy being up there above the city:









As usual, the churches were magnificent. I just don't feel right taking pictures inside the churches but they really affect me emotionally. I realize that the big money was with churches back then so they could hire the most talented artists to do the work. I think that is part of what amazes me with these churches - the amazing artwork. Here are some exterior views of some of the churches:









This is all mosaic - so there, Ravenna!














I also love the narrow streets and ornate buildings. I don't think these do it justice:








Of course there are always statues. I took pictures of a couple:









They were putting large tents up all over town. This is just a small portion of them. It seems that they are having some kind of expo this weekend. I'm sorry I will miss it.




We went to the Museum of Modern Art where they were having an exhibit of some of Peggy Guggenheim's (sp?) collection. They also had her life story in different parts of the exhibit. She lived in NYC but also lived in Venice. She helped people escape Germany during the war and married an artist Fritz or Frantz - so he could come to the USA. They separated 2 years later so it was really a marriage to save him. She seems like the kind of woman I would have enjoyed knowing. They also allowed Seymour in to the exhibit.
This is the outside of the Museum we visited.


We went inside a few of the churches - even the ones that had the dog with a line through it signs - and weren't stopped.

But the cool thing that happened was, as I was doing my aimless walking around the town, I looked in a window and saw a woman grooming dogs. There were 3 large dogs inside, 2 walking around and one being groomed. I knocked on the door because it was locked and asked if she could trim Seymour's nails. She asked if he was good - of course - mostly - so she cut his nails. When I went to pay, she said it was free. So nice, and so needed!

I then found a pet shop and bought some kind of talc or something so I can wash him without water. I haven't opened it yet. I also found some little round disks about as big as a quarter that are dried ham. Close enough to Seymour's chicken tenders. So far he won't eat them, but I'm not giving up. I am hoping he will eat some so they clean his teeth a little - and give me a break with having to smell his breath!

In summary, Lucca is a very pretty walled town with lots of beautiful churches, is pet friendly and has a groomer! I was told that a lot of American expats live there. I still like it :)

We are back at the albergo and Seymour is sleeping on the bed as I write this. I need to start looking for additional places to stay on airbnb and start packing. Our train leaves at 10 am tomorrow for Assisi. The place I will be staying does not have internet. I am hoping I can find a place that does or that my cellular sim card will work in a pinch.



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